🔗 Share this article

"They call this location a mysterious vortex of Transylvania," states a tour guide, the air from his lungs producing wisps of vapor in the cold dusk atmosphere. "Numerous people have vanished here, many believe it's a portal to another dimension." Marius is leading a visitor on a nocturnal tour through commonly known as the world's most haunted woodland: Hoia-Baciu, a square mile of old-growth local woods on the edges of the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca.

Hundreds of Years of Enigma

Stories of bizarre occurrences here go back hundreds of years – the forest is called after a regional herder who is said to have vanished in the distant past, along with 200 of his sheep. But Hoia-Baciu came to worldwide fame in 1968, when an army specialist named Emil Barnea photographed what he described as a flying saucer hovering above a oval meadow in the middle of the forest.

Numerous entered this place and failed to return. But no need to fear," he adds, turning to the visitor with a grin. "Our guided walks have a perfect safety record."

In the decades since, Hoia-Baciu has brought in yogis, spiritual healers, extraterrestrial investigators and supernatural researchers from across the world, curious to experience the unusual forces reported to reverberate through the forest.

Current Risks

It may be one of the world's premier pilgrimage sites for supernatural fans, the forest is at risk. The outlying areas of Cluj-Napoca – a modern tech hub of a population exceeding 400,000, described as the innovation center of the region – are advancing, and construction companies are pushing for authorization to clear the trees to erect housing complexes.

Aside from a small area housing regionally uncommon oak varieties, this woodland is not officially protected, but the guide hopes that the initiative he helped establish – a dedicated preservation group – will contribute to improving the situation, motivating the authorities to appreciate the forest's significance as a tourist attraction.

Eerie Encounters

While branches and seasonal debris snap and crunch beneath their footwear, Marius tells some of the traditional stories and reported supernatural events here.

• A popular tale describes a little girl vanishing during a family picnic, then to rematerialise after five years with no recollection of what had happened, without aging a day, her attire lacking the tiniest bit of dust.
• More common reports detail smartphones and camera equipment inexplicably shutting down on venturing inside.
• Feelings range from full-blown dread to states of ecstasy.
• Various visitors report noticing unusual marks on their skin, perceiving ghostly voices through the woodland, or experience fingers clutching them, although sure they are alone.

Research Efforts

Although numerous of the tales may be hard to prove, there are many things clearly observable that is definitely bizarre. All around are vegetation whose stems are curved and contorted into unusual forms.

Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for the misshapen plants: strong gales could have bent the saplings, or typically increased radiation levels in the ground explain their crooked growth.

But scientific investigations have turned up no satisfactory evidence.

The Notorious Meadow

Marius's tours allow visitors to participate in a small-scale research of their own. As we approach the clearing in the forest where Barnea took his well-known UFO photographs, he passes the visitor an ghost-hunting device which registers energy patterns.

"We're stepping into the most powerful part of the forest," he states. "Discover what's here."

The vegetation suddenly stop dead as we emerge into a perfect circle. The only greenery is the low vegetation beneath the ground; it's apparent that it hasn't been mown, and appears that this strange clearing is natural, not the creation of people.

The Blurred Line

The broader region is a area which inspires creativity, where the border is indistinct between reality and legend. In traditional settlements superstition remains in strigoi ("screamers") – undead, appearance-altering vampires, who return from burial sites to terrorise local communities.

The famous author's famous fictional vampire is always connected with Transylvania, and the historic stronghold – a medieval building perched on a rocky outcrop in the mountain range – is actively advertised as "Dracula's Castle".

But even legend-filled Transylvania – literally, "the territory after the grove" – appears real and understandable in contrast to these eerie woods, which give the impression of being, for causes nuclear, environmental or simply folkloric, a nexus for human imaginative power.

"Within this forest," Marius comments, "the division between truth and fantasy is remarkably blurred."